1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for reproducing audio information, and an information record medium on which an audio information reproduction program to enable such a reproduction is recorded and which can be read by a computer, and more particularly relates to a method of and an apparatus for reproducing the audio information, which can reproduce two or more audio information continuously without intermittence while maintaining a constant rhythm. The present invention also relates to a program storage device such as an information record medium for storing a program and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, which enable a computer to perform such an audio information reproduction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A club or salon referred to as a so-called xe2x80x9cclubxe2x80x9d in Japan is very popular in which young persons mainly enjoy a dance in time to a music composition having a nimble rhythm. In such a club, in order for the persons to enjoy the dance, it is preferred that a plurality of music compositions are continuously played while a constant rhythm is maintained, even between different music compositions.
Here, the xe2x80x9crhythmxe2x80x9d implies such a structure that a strength and a weakness of a tone are periodically repeated in a certain music composition (namely, a beat).
A plurality of music compositions are outputted to the inside of the club as an editor for editing the combination of music compositions (hereafter, this editor is referred to as a xe2x80x9cdisc jockeyxe2x80x9d) selects and synthesizes the music compositions respectively outputted from a plurality of reproducing apparatuses, in the actual spot or scene.
At this time, as an actual method of continuously reproducing and outputting two music compositions, the disc jockey drives two reproducing apparatuses, for example, by using the following procedure.
(i) While a first reproducing apparatus is used to reproduce and output one music composition from an information record medium such as an optical disc, a second reproducing apparatus is used to reproduce another music composition. Then, another music composition is listened to by the disc jockey by using a headphone or the like without outputting it into the inside of the club.
(ii) Then, a reproducing speed of the second reproducing apparatus is set such that, while another music composition is listened to by the disc jockey, the time period required for one beat in another music composition coincides with that in the one music composition (which is currently being reproduced and outputted). Then, a head portion of another music composition is searched (i.e., a so-called xe2x80x9chead searchxe2x80x9d is performed).
(iii) When the one music composition which is currently being reproduced and outputted approaches an end thereof, a reproduction level of the one music composition is gradually dropped (a so-called xe2x80x9cfade-outxe2x80x9d is performed). Along with this, another music composition is reproduced from the head portion thereof while it is matched with the beat timing of the one music composition. Then, the reproduction level for another music composition is gradually increased (a so-called xe2x80x9cfade-inxe2x80x9d is performed), so that another music composition is outputted to the inside of the club.
(iv) When the reproduction level of another music composition becomes equal to a proper reproduction level, the reproduction of the one music composition, which has been reproduced and outputted, is stopped. Then, the first reproducing apparatus is ready for further another music composition to be continuously reproduced after another music composition which is currently being reproduced and outputted.
After that, as the disc jockey repeats the procedure (i) to the procedure (iv), the plurality of different music compositions can be reproduced continuously without the intermittence while the rhythm is maintained constant.
In the above-mentioned series of operations, the xe2x80x9cbeatxe2x80x9d implies each portion of the strengths and weaknesses of the tones repeated in the cycles of the rhythms of each music composition, and it is composed of a strong beat and a weak beat. The xe2x80x9cstrong beatxe2x80x9d implies a strong portion of the bar or beat in a flow of the rhythm (typically, this portion corresponds to a first beat on a staff, and this is a portion represented by a motion of a conductor in which a baton is brought down from top). Moreover, the xe2x80x9cweak beatxe2x80x9d implies a weak portion of the bar or beat in the flow of the rhythm.
At this time, for example, a double time uses a strong beat and a weak beat. A triple time uses a strong beat, a weak beat and a weak beat. A quadruple time uses a strong beat, a weak beat, a middle beat and a weak beat. Thus, in the continuous reproduction of the music compositions, it is desirable to start the reproduction of another music composition such that the timings of the strong beats of the one and another music compositions to be continuously reproduced are coincident with each other.
On the other hand, as a method of mechanically carrying out such a continuous reproduction, there is a connection reproduction method using a memory, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid Open Publication No. Sho. 60-166892.
However, in the case where the above mentioned continuous reproduction is performed manually by the disc jockey, an operation on a large number of switches etc., is required in fact. This results in such a problem that the reproduction output cannot be appropriately continued unless the disc jockey is a well trained and experienced person for the operation.
This point leads to a problem that the business as the club cannot be maintained if there is no such a well trained and experienced disc jockey.
On the other hand, according to the above mentioned method using the mechanically carry out the connection reproduction, there may be a case that the connection portions of two music compositions cannot be connected while maintaining the rhythm of those music compositions, since the disclosed technique does not consider the timing of the beat or the time period required for one beat.
The present invention is proposed in view of the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for reproducing audio information, which can connect and reproduce two music compositions rhythmically without intermittence through a relatively simple operation done by a person, who is not well trained or experienced for the connection reproduction, as well as a program storage device for storing a program such as an information record medium and a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, which enable a computer to function as such an audio information reproducing apparatus.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a first apparatus for reproducing audio information, which reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The first apparatus is provided with: a detecting device such as a BPM (Beat Per Minute) detector etc., for detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing device such as a sub CPU (Central Processing Unit) etc., for reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period.
According to the first apparatus, while said another time period is controlled to be coincident with said one time period, said another audio information is reproduced continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent by a relatively simple operation.
Therefore, even by an operator, who is not familiar with the operation of reproducing each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information with a good rhythmic sense by a relatively simple operation.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a second apparatus for reproducing audio information, which reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The second apparatus is provided with: a detecting device such as a BPM detector etc., for detecting one beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said one audio information and also detecting another beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing device such as a sub CPU etc., for reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another beat timing to be coincident with the detected one beat timing.
According to the second apparatus, while said another beat timing is controlled to be coincident with said one beat timing, said another audio information is reproduced continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent by a relatively simple operation.
Therefore, even by an operator, who is not familiar with the operation of reproducing each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information with a good rhythmic sense by a relatively simple operation.
In one aspect of the second apparatus of the present invention, the detecting device detects a timing of a strong beat of said one audio information as said one beat timing, and also detects a timing of a strong beat of said another audio information as said another beat timing.
According to this aspect, since the strong beat timings are controlled to be coincident between said one audio information and said another audio information, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof more consistent by a relatively simple operation.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a third apparatus for reproducing audio information, which reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The third apparatus is provided with: a first detecting device such as a BPM detector etc., for detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; a second detecting device such as a BPM detector etc., for detecting one beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said one audio information and also detecting another beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing device such as a sub CPU etc., for reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period and also controlling the detected another beat timing to be coincident with the detected one beat timing.
According to the third apparatus, while said another time period is controlled to be coincident with said one time period and said another beat timing is controlled to be coincident with said one beat timing, said another audio information is reproduced continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent by a relatively simple operation.
Therefore, even by an operator, who is not familiar with the operation of reproducing each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information with a good rhythmic sense by a relatively simple operation.
In one aspect of the first or third apparatus of the present invention, the reproducing device reproduces said another audio information as it is continuously to said one audio information in case that the detecting device cannot detect said another time period.
According to this aspect, when said another time period cannot be detected, said another audio information is reproduced as it is (i.e., while said another time period is not controlled) continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to prevent the continuous reproduction from being interrupted between said one audio information and said another audio information since said another time period cannot be detected.
In another aspect of the second or third apparatus of the present invention, the reproducing device reproduces said another audio information as it is from a predetermined timing set in advance continuously to said one audio information in case that the detecting device cannot detect said another beat timing.
According to this aspect, when said another beat timing cannot be detected, said another audio information is reproduced as it is (i.e., while said another beat timing is not controlled) from the predetermined timing continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to prevent the continuous reproduction from being interrupted between said one audio information and said another audio information since said another beat timing cannot be detected.
The above object can be also achieved by a first method of reproducing audio information, which reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The first method is provided with: a detecting process of detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing process of reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period.
According to the first method, while said another time period is controlled to be coincident with said one time period, said another audio information is reproduced continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent by a relatively simple operation.
Therefore, even by an operator, who is not familiar with the operation of reproducing each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information with a good rhythmic sense by a relatively simple operation.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a second method of reproducing audio information, which reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The second method is provided with: a detecting process of detecting one beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said one audio information and also detecting another beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing process of reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another beat timing to be coincident with the detected one beat timing.
According to the second method, while said another beat timing is controlled to be coincident with said one beat timing, said another audio information is reproduced continuously to said one audio information. Thus, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent by a relatively simple operation.
Therefore, even by an operator, who is not familiar with the operation of reproducing each audio information while making the rhythms thereof consistent, it is possible to continuously reproduce each audio information with a good rhythmic sense by a relatively simple operation.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a first program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform processes to reproduce one audio information and reproduce another audio information after said one audio information. The processes include: a detecting process of detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing process of reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period.
According to the first program storage device of the present invention, as the computer reads in and executes the program stored therein, it is possible to realize the above described first apparatus for reproducing the audio information of the present invention on the computer.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a second program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform processes to reproduce one audio information and reproduce another audio information after said one audio information. The processes include: a detecting process of detecting one beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said one audio information and also detecting another beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing process of reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another beat timing to be coincident with the detected one beat timing.
According to the second program storage device of the present invention, as the computer reads in and executes the program stored therein, it is possible to realize the above described second apparatus for reproducing the audio information of the present invention on the computer.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a first computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which cause a computer to perform processes to reproduce one audio information and reproduce another audio information after said one audio information. The processes include: a detecting process of detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing process of reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period.
According to the first computer data signal embodied in the carrier wave of the present invention, as the computer downloads and executes the program in the computer data signal, it is possible to realize the above described first apparatus for reproducing the audio information of the present invention on the computer.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a second computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which cause a computer to perform processes to reproduce one audio information and reproduce another audio information after said one audio information. The processes include: a detecting process of detecting one beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said one audio information and also detecting another beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing process of reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another beat timing to be coincident with the detected one beat timing.
According to the second computer data signal embodied in the carrier wave of the present invention, as the computer downloads and executes the program in the computer data signal, it is possible to realize the above described second apparatus for reproducing the audio information of the present invention on the computer.
The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description with respect to preferred embodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings briefly described below.